Nursing home
Life Care Center of Kona
78-6957 Kamehameha Iii Road, Kailua Kona, HI 96740 · Map
For profit - Corporation · Part of Life Care Centers Of America (194 facilities) · 94 certified beds
Life Care Center of Kona is a Medicare-certified nursing home in Kailua Kona, Hawaii. CMS rates it 3 out of 5 stars overall (4/5 for staffing, 2/5 for health inspections). Nurse staffing is 3.68 hours per resident per day, below the Hawaii average of 4.71. Its most recent inspection on Sep 25, 2024 cited 14 deficiencies.
- 1 fine totaling $27,612In CMS records: 1 total penalty.
CMS quality ratings
Ratings from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), updated monthly. 5 stars is the highest quality.
How Life Care Center of Kona compares
This facility vs. the Hawaii and national averages, from CMS data. For staffing, higher is generally better; for turnover and deficiencies, lower is better.
| Metric | This facility | Hawaii avg | National avg | Compared with the state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total nurse staffing (hrs/resident/day) | 3.68 | 4.71 | 3.89 | below avg |
| RN staffing (hrs/resident/day) | 1.11 | 1.63 | 0.68 | below avg |
| Aide staffing (hrs/resident/day) | 1.98 | 2.73 | 2.34 | below avg |
| Nursing staff turnover | 39.6% | 36.5% | 46.4% | above avg |
| Deficiencies cited, last inspection | 14.0 | 10.4 | 9.5 | above avg |
Staffing
Hours per resident per day as reported to CMS. Higher numbers indicate more direct care time.
Staff turnover
Lower turnover typically indicates better working conditions and continuity of care. National average for nursing staff is 46.4%.
Recent health inspection
CMS inspects nursing facilities regularly. Deficiencies are categorized by severity.
Penalties in CMS records: 1 fine totaling $27,612, 1 total penalty.
What inspectors found at Life Care Center of Kona
Specific deficiencies cited in recent CMS health inspections, most recent first. Severity follows the CMS scope/severity scale. Source: CMS Care Compare.
- Potential for harm
Procure food from sources approved or considered satisfactory and store, prepare, distribute and serve food in accordance with professional standards.
Nutrition and Dietary Deficiencies · Sep 25, 2024 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Observe each nurse aide's job performance and give regular training.
Nursing and Physician Services Deficiencies · Sep 25, 2024 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Protect each resident from all types of abuse such as physical, mental, sexual abuse, physical punishment, and neglect by anybody.
Freedom from Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation Deficiencies · Sep 25, 2024 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Honor the resident's right to a dignified existence, self-determination, communication, and to exercise his or her rights.
Resident Rights Deficiencies · Sep 25, 2024 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Respond appropriately to all alleged violations.
Freedom from Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation Deficiencies · Sep 25, 2024 · Full report (PDF)
Show all 12 deficiencies
- Potential for harm
Timely report suspected abuse, neglect, or theft and report the results of the investigation to proper authorities.
Freedom from Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation Deficiencies · Sep 25, 2024 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Develop and implement policies and procedures for flu and pneumonia vaccinations.
Infection Control Deficiencies · Sep 25, 2024 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.
Infection Control Deficiencies · Sep 25, 2024 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Safeguard resident-identifiable information and/or maintain medical records on each resident that are in accordance with accepted professional standards.
Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies · Sep 25, 2024 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Provide pharmaceutical services to meet the needs of each resident and employ or obtain the services of a licensed pharmacist.
Pharmacy Service Deficiencies · Sep 25, 2024 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Ensure that a nursing home area is free from accident hazards and provides adequate supervision to prevent accidents.
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies · Sep 25, 2024 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Develop and implement a complete care plan that meets all the resident's needs, with timetables and actions that can be measured.
Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies · Sep 25, 2024 · Full report (PDF)
Read the full inspection reports on Medicare.gov Each inspection there has a “Read the full report” link with the inspectors’ written findings.
About this facility
- Address
- 78-6957 Kamehameha Iii Road
Kailua Kona, HI 96740 - CMS certification #
- 125052
- Ownership
- For profit - Corporation
- Certified beds
- 94
- Avg residents/day
- 52.2
- Provider type
- Medicare and Medicaid
- First certified
- 2001-10-23
- Chain
- Life Care Centers Of America (194 facilities)
- Setting
- Rural
Part of Life Care Centers Of America
Life Care Centers Of America operates 194 nursing facilities across the United States. View all Life Care Centers Of America facilities →
Not SLA enrolled. This facility hasn’t enrolled in resident survey verification. Learn about enrollment →
Location and nearby
Explore the area around Life Care Center of Kona using Google Maps.
Other public records
- Website says Nurse 24 hours a day, transportation
Full public records, with dates and sources
Care and services
From the community’s website
What Life Care Center of Kona says about itself, quoted from its own site. We have not checked these claims against licensing records. Ask about each one on a tour.
- Nurse on site: 24 hours a day.
Focusing on inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation with 24-hour skilled nursing care, Life Care Center of Kona offers state-of-the-art rehab equipment such as the AlterG
(page, checked Oct 12, 2026) - Provides transportation.
Transportation services
(page, checked Oct 15, 2026) - Smoke-free.
Non-smoking facility
(page, checked Oct 15, 2026)
Staff pay and workplace safety
Federal records about how the employer here treats its staff.
Federal wage and hour cases
The Department of Labor checks that staff are paid minimum wage and overtime as the law requires.
DOL also concluded 1 case here with no violations found, most recently for a period ending Apr 3, 2012.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division enforcement data, loaded Oct 15, 2026. Concluded cases only. The dates are the period in which DOL found violations, not when the case opened or closed. Back wages are what the employer agreed to pay; penalties are what DOL assessed. DOL does not publish a page for each case, so search the dataset by case number.
Location and nearby care
- Nearest hospital with an emergency room
- Kona Community Hospital, Kealakekua. 3.9 miles away, straight line. CMS overall hospital rating: 2 of 5 stars.
- Nearest Medicare nursing home
- Honoka'a Hospital & Skilled Nursing, Honokaa. 47.7 miles away, straight line.
- Nearest home health agency office
- Kaiser Permanente Care At Home, Big Island Home Health, Kailua Kona. 8.5 miles away, straight line. Agencies travel to clients, so ask which ones serve this address.
- Nearest pharmacy
- Longs Drugs. 0.6 miles away, straight line. From OpenStreetMap, which does not list every pharmacy, so one may be closer.
- Area
- USDA classes ZIP code 96740 as micropolitan (micropolitan core).
- Dialysis within 15 miles
- Liberty Dialysis Hawaii - Kona Dialysis, Kailua Kona, 0.8 miles away, straight line (has a shift starting after 5 pm; CMS rating 3 of 5 stars)
Usrc Kona Coast, Kailua Kona, 6.3 miles away, straight line - Hospice
- 4 Medicare hospices tell CMS they serve ZIP code 96740.
Hospice Of Kona, office in Kailua Kona, 4.8 miles away, straight line (CMS family survey rating 5 of 5 stars) - Nearest geriatric medicine practice
- Hawaii Permanente Medical Group Inc, Wailuku. 97.6 miles away, straight line. 1 geriatric medicine doctor listed there.
Distances are straight lines from the community, not driving distance. Hospitals, home health, dialysis, hospice and doctors come from CMS provider data (CMS, hospital list updated Jul 22, 2026). Star ratings are CMS’s own.
Emergency and natural hazard risk
Public hazard maps for this location. Ask the community about its emergency plan, its generator and where residents would go in an evacuation.
- Flood zone
- Outside the high and moderate risk flood areas on FEMA's flood map (Zone X, minimal flood hazard, or not studied). (FEMA flood map)
- Wildfire risk to homes
- In Kahaluu-Keauhou, HI, risk to homes is greater than 14% of communities in Hawaii and 84% of communities nationwide. USDA rates the whole town or city, not this address. (USDA Forest Service, Wildfire Risk to Communities, April 2026)
- FEMA National Risk Index
- Overall: very high. By hazard: hurricane relatively low, inland flooding very high, coastal flooding relatively low, wildfire relatively moderate, tornado very low, earthquake very high. These are FEMA’s ratings for the census tract, compared with tracts nationwide. (FEMA, December 2025)
A flood zone describes the map at this point, not the building's elevation. In an emergency, follow the local emergency management agency.
What we checked
Every public source we searched for this community. “Nothing on record” means we found no record that matched it. A record can be missed when a name or address differs.
| Source | Data as of | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Department of Labor wage and hour cases | Oct 15, 2026 | See above |
| OSHA workplace safety inspections since 2016 | Oct 15, 2026 | Nothing on record |
| FEMA flood map | See above | |
| USDA wildfire risk | Apr 15, 2026 | See above |
| FEMA National Risk Index | See above | |
| CMS hospitals, home health, dialysis, hospice and doctors; OpenStreetMap pharmacies | See above | |
| HUD Multifamily Properties - Assisted | Jul 6, 2026 | Nothing on record |
| State Veterans Homes (NASVH directory) | Sep 20, 2026 | Nothing on record |
| CMS Hospice - General Information | Aug 19, 2026 | Nothing on record |
| CMS Home Health Care Agencies | May 27, 2026 | Nothing on record |
| The community’s own website | See above |
Looking for assisted living or memory care instead?
Frequently asked questions
Is Life Care Center of Kona a good nursing home?
CMS gives Life Care Center of Kona an overall rating of 3 out of 5 stars, including 4/5 for staffing and 2/5 for health inspections. These ratings come from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and are updated monthly.
How is Life Care Center of Kona staffed?
Life Care Center of Kona reports 3.68 total nurse hours per resident per day, compared with the Hawaii average of 4.71.
Has Life Care Center of Kona had inspection problems?
Its most recent CMS inspection cited 14 deficiencies.
How many beds does Life Care Center of Kona have?
Life Care Center of Kona is certified for 94 beds.